French Navy Air Defense FREMM Frigate Lorraine arrived in Manila on 23 June for a weeklong port visit in the Southeast Asia nation to strengthen alliance amid tensions in the South China Sea.
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Rear Admiral Geoffroy d’Andigné, Commander of the Armed Forces in French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean and French Polynesian maritime zones (ALPACI), told reporters during a press briefing aboard the French vessel their presence in the South China Sea showed their support for liberty of navigation. "France is the only European Union country to conduct navigation in the Taiwan strait or South China Sea. But I shall make it very clear that our deployment will not be aggressive or provocative to anyone," the Admiral said.
Michèle Boccoz, ambassador of the French Republic to the Philippines said that France is supporting the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea not only politically but also in a bilateral and multilateral framework. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and French President Emmanuel Macron met on the sidelines of the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' Meeting held in Bangkok last year and agreed to work together closely in defense and security areas. "We are having an enhanced dialogue on that. And as you know we are always promoting a rules based international order, the rule of law and the UN convention of the sea, and specifically the 2016 arbitral ruling," the French ambassador said.
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Video by Jeoffrey Maitem
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